With the convenience of online shopping comes a growing problem of package theft, wherein packages delivered and dropped at an unsecure location, e.g., outside a business or residence, remain accessible to a third party that is not the intended recipient of the package or document and may steal the package before the intended recipient can retrieve the package or document. In 2016, an estimated $327 billion was spent on online with 23 million consumers being victims of package theft resulting from packages purchased online being left out in plain sight on front porches after being delivered.
While there have been many recent developments that attempt to combat the growing trend in package theft, these developments tend to be either complicated, impractical or obtrusive. These include: special smart phone APPS to alert consumers when a package was delivered; cameras; APPS allowing or directing delivery persons to open receptacles; APPS allowing delivery persons to enter the home; remote drop off locations and lastly, large obtrusive drop off boxes bolted down in the front porch entrance areas, to name a few.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have a simple, cost effective package delivery/receipt device that can be easily accessed by the delivery person yet will keep the package secured and out of sight until the recipient retrieves the delivered items. The device would also be able to accommodate standard letters, express mail envelopes, small and medium to ‘large’ size packages and boxes.